During the manufacture of certain asphaltic products, e.g., shingles, it is known that a significant amount of waste material is developed. In the case of shingles, waste material results not only from the creation of broken or defective shingles but also from the trimmings and cutouts which naturally arise during the production of finished shingles. Generally, this waste material has been discarded in dumps where it presents both an ecological and environmental problem.
Despite attempts to recycle asphaltic waste material, such as those methods described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,290,954 to Ford; 1,732,281 to Robinson; and 2,368,371 to Minge et al., no commercially practical solution has been achieved for recycling asphaltic waste material particularly for use in roadway construction, e.g., road beds, parking lots, driveways, etc. Generally, the methods of the first two patents mentioned above are directed to reclaiming asphaltic waste material for use in molding other asphaltic products such as battery cases or waterproof containers. The Minge et al. patent refers to a process for reclaiming asphaltic waste material wherein the material is first reduced to a finely comminuted form and then intermixed with melted asphalt.
However, these attempts have proved inadequate for reclaiming waste material for roadway construction purposes because such use requires a certain consistency of asphalt which is not available in the asphaltic content of most waste materials.
Applicant has invented an improved method of and apparatus for recycling asphaltic waste materials into a suitable state which can be reintroduced as a binding agent for roadway construction purposes.